Space In The Soul
by GCatsPjs
Summary: 7th Installment of the Saint in the Shadows series... Antonia's Love Story.
1. Space In The Soul

**The following fic is a continuation of the Saint in the Shadows saga. It is recommended that you read the earlier stories, but not terribly necessary.**

**1. Saint In the Shadows**

**2. Spaces In Between**

**3. Shades of Grace**

**4. Shadows in the Sun**

**5. Saints, Sinners, and Saviors**

**6. Something Is Lost**

**The current chapter takes place approximately 20 years after 'Something is Lost' (a year after the last chapter, that is). Antonia is 27 years old. There will be flashbacks, and rest assured, we will be returning to the scene at the end of Something Is Lost, and beyond. … ****I will attempt to put dates where I can.**

* * *

_The future, like the sun's rays, is immeasurable. Try as you might to capture them, it's impossible. The future can just as easily be snuffed out, just as quickly and just as unexpectedly as a sudden burst of light and heat from the sun could obliterate us as a human race. Life, like the future, is full of unpredictable things. But we move forward, regardless. We wake up every day and we plan our day, despite the unexpected changes that we will encounter. We wake up, get out of bed with an idea and a plan, and we continue to live those plans out, day after day, making our lives a worthy expression of leaning into the light... _

_People come into our lives as if they were the phases of the moon. You begin with just a sliver of trust and meaning, and with time, that trust can either become full, and bright... Or it can slide from view once again. Though for every orb of light that welcomes your attention, there are only a select few that are able to warm your face and spirit. _

_Sometimes, when you're staring up to the heavens, watching those phases, you notice that there are differences, nuances that you had never noticed before, like a person that you thought you knew through and through, only to find another secret. There are pockets of uncharted territory that if you were just brave enough, you would reach to the heavens for them, and if you were lucky, you'd find that the ball of light that you were reaching for isn't as large and as out of reach as you once thought. It's not cold or unwelcoming, but warm and inviting, like a good friend who not only treasures the trust, but gives you the gift of their own trust in return. With that, a bond is created, and a strong thread of friendship will pull you to that other person, and an understanding like no other begins to blossom and grow. _

_Those people, the select few; the ones that get drawn into your gravitational pull... they are the ones that are with you until the end. They remain a part of your life forever - no matter the distance, no matter the time passage. More often than not you will find that those certain people, or that 'one' special person, has somehow become something else entirely. They have become a part of you. And that, as they say... is everything._

* * *

These words echo in my heart with each and every syllable. These words were drawn from a place of pure and undying love and devotion. They were scrawled from my father's hand, and etched into my mother's soul. They resonate with my every decision, my every relationship, and my every breath. These are the words that all should live by, all should abide, all should focus on. These are the words that I repeated to myself when I finally let someone into my heart, into my soul. This is how I found the man that I was meant to be with, my soul mate of sorts.

Okay, that's how I reaffirmed that I had found my soul mate… eventually… which seems to be an ongoing theme in my family.

Everything happens eventually, even love.

My name is Antonia Booth, and this is the story of how I found love.

(That is, of course… If you believe in that sort of thing.)


	2. The Parental Unit

My mother is a scientist. Her life is based on evidence and proof in any form that it is available. She is the smartest person that I know, and I can be certain she is the smartest person that I may ever know. She is both physically strong, with a mind as sharp as razor wire. My mother is the esteemed Doctor Temperance Brennan. She never professionally took my father's name, and I think that both of them have always been fine with that. Their relationship was never built on the banal, and it would have done both of them a great disservice if they fell into that trap. Her job is her life, but her life is her family, and that is something that has never wavered in the twenty seven years that I have been alive.

Through high school and as I perused articles on the best colleges, my mind always went back to my mother's work in the Jeffersonian lab. Her focus and love for the job, for learning and reading the human body was absolutely intriguing to me. She helped people, and that was what I wanted to do with my life.

* * *

(_Two years earlier)_

_Booth sat down at the table, glancing to the waitress, she nodded when he caught her eye and moved to get his cup of coffee. "Are you sure you want to intern at the lab?" he asked his daughter as she sat down, her brow furrowed. "You want to be a squint?"_

_Antonia's lip curled into her mother's half smile, and she shook her head at her father. "I know the Jeffersonian, I know the lab. I love my work, daddy, and it would just be easier if I was someplace comfortable. I want to help people."_

_"Aren't you worried about being accused of nepotism? Kids can be cruel."_

_"Daddy, I'm not a kid. The other interns, they're not kids either. You have to be really smart to get into the program at the Jeffersonian. I have to fill out an application just like everyone else. I refuse to enter the program on anything other than my educational merits."_

_"You're still a kid." Booth replied, seeming to ignore everything else that Antonia had just said. Antonia shook her head and sipped the coffee that the waitress had brought them. They were quiet for several moments. "The Jeffersonian would be lucky to have you."_

_"You think I don't know that?" Antonia grinned brightly, sipping her coffee at her father's laugh. "I am a genius, you know." _

* * *

Of course, if I'm going to describe my mother, I can't forget to mention my father. Special Agent Seeley Booth. Former Army ranger, former FBI Agent, and in his most recent move, former Secret Service agent. My father is beyond a doubt, a 'by the book' kind of guy, but all of the 'books' seem to have been written by him. He and my mother were partners long before I was even a gleam in their eye. They spent their work hours and their personal time together, and were virtually inseparable as a team. Dad was the brawn, and Mom was the brains, though sometimes it seems that their abilities were shared.

Dad tried retirement a year or so ago. He tried to spend time with his grandchildren, tried to focus on himself for once. The truth is though; Dad can't stay still for very long without having the distinct feeling that he'll become obsolete or unneeded. He has always needed to be doing something, anything, in order to feel useful. I am not sure if it is something built into him that keeps his mind constantly working, or if he is just afraid of relaxing, but when Dad doesn't have something to do, he always finds some kind of trouble to get into. That, and when he's bored… he tends to drive my mother up a wall.

With extra free time, he was spending even more time in the lab with Mom and her partner, Ace than he had when he was when he actually worked at the Jeffersonian. He was always sticking his nose into their cases, and though Mom is the master of compartmentalization, even in her busiest times she is no match for my father's charm.

In a bold move by Aunt Cam (Maybe out of desperation) , he was given the job of FBI-Jeffersonian ambassador. The position was as a freelance consultant for the FBI in an attempt to keep the bond between agents in the field, and the scientists at the Jeffersonian strong, workable, and copasetic. Dad has always been a good influence on other agents. He always keeps his head in the game as an agent, and always treats his 'squints' with respect. He is patient and is always willing to learn, and protective of both the evidence, and his partner's well being. These qualities are important when two divergent mindsets work together for a common result, for field agents don't always have a scientific background and scientists don't typically embrace certain social mores particularly well.

Through the years my father has put many, many criminals behind bars, both with and without the aid of my mother's team at the Jeffersonian. He is an example to many, and most agents look to him as a mentor… even if he does have some bad habits.

* * *

_(Present Day- December 4th)_

_"We'll take you down to the lab, get to know the squints in their natural environment," Booth rattled on to his passenger. The young agent in the seat next to him looked so green that Booth could nearly smell the 'new agent' smell that Booth jokingly said existed. Dressed in his typical suit and tie, the young man in the seat beside him twisted his fingers with his hand. "They'll probably want to break you in a little bit, but there's no need to be put off if they seem a little cold. They are just very concentrated on what they're doing… and sometimes the world passes by while they are stuck staring into their microscopes."_

_He turned onto the next road and continued straight. He glanced behind him when he saw the police officer pull out behind him, and glanced to the agent beside him. He then looked back at the rear view mirror when he saw the flashing lights behind him. "Crap." He muttered._

_"What?" the agent asked, glancing back, he saw the flashing lights as well. His eyebrows lifted and he turned around, swallowing hard. He watched as Booth pulled to the side of the road, and rolled down his window as the officer stopped behind him, lights still flashing. _

_"Aw, come on…" He muttered, as the police officer's car door opened. _

_The other agent registered a look on Booth's face that he couldn't quite decipher as the officer approached. She was a tall, thin woman, her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her eyes narrowed as she approached the driver's side. _

_She leaned down and gave Booth a good, long look. "Sir." She stated, her voice taking on an authoritative tone. "Do you know why I pulled you over?"_

_"Yes." Booth replied, glaring up at the officer._

_"Do you care to share with the rest of the class?" She asked, indicating herself and his passenger._

_"Do we really have to go through this? Can't you just…"_

_"Sir?"_

_"My seatbelt." Booth muttered._

_"Excuse me?" She said, leaning in the car a bit. The agent in the passenger seat caught a gleam of humor in her ice blue eyes. "I couldn't hear you."_

_"My seatbelt." Booth said, reaching his hand back, he touched the unbuckled belt._

_"That's right." She nodded her head. "Wearing your seatbelt is the law, sir. I'm sure you have children… grandchildren, maybe even great grand children that would like to see you live a few more years." She said, suddenly the subject of an irritated glare. "Can I please see your license and registration?"_

_"Are you kidding me?"_

_"Do I look like I'm joking, sir?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at him. "License and registration."_

_Booth muttered under his breath and leaned over, pulling the registration out of the glove compartment, he slapped it, and his wallet into her hand. "There."_

_"Thank you, sir." She then turned and walked toward her car._

_Booth sat back in his seat, his brow furrowed as he shook his head angrily. He glanced to the agent beside him, and noticed that the young man was staring straight ahead. He glanced in the rear view mirror as the officer opened the door to her cruiser. "You've got to be kidding me…" He muttered, swinging his car door open, he climbed from the car and quickly approached the officer's car. The agent in the passenger seat twisted his neck to see, and watched as Booth argued with her. They exchanged words for several moments, and Booth's face seemed to be turning red in anger. After a moment or two, he seemed to calm down, the officer was now smiling at him as she leaned on the cruiser and talked to him. She wrote something down and handed it to him. Booth looked in the direction of his car, and the agent quickly averted his gaze. _

_After a minute or two, Booth swung open the door to the car and sat down. He threw the papers in his hand toward his passenger and grabbed at his seatbelt. It stuck two, three times, before he grunted and pulled at it a fourth time just right, slowly pulling it to latch it. When he looked up, the police officer was driving past, waving at him with a grin._

_"Just what I needed today." He muttered, glancing to the agent beside him. "You can put those in the glove compartment." _

_"Couldn't get out of it, huh?" he asked, opening up the box, he put it inside, glancing at the piece of paper._

_"No." He said, grabbing the other slip of paper from the other man's hand. "Sorry, that's mine… grocery list." The agent lifted an eyebrow. "You're invited to dinner with my family this evening." He said with a sarcastic smile, as he glanced behind him, and pulled back into traffic._


	3. The New Puppy

Not every child has the good fortune of growing up around those where the average IQ is in the 98th percentile. Not every child has the opportunity to grow up along some of the brightest minds in forensic anthropology. Luckily for me, I enjoy science. Luckily for my father, I was able to obtain some of his rapier wit and charming characteristics along with my mother's affinity for perfection and ease with working around the deceased.

Whether they have been dead for hours or centuries, working with a human skeleton can be both revolting, and thought provoking. The work is not easy, and compartmentalization is necessary. Which is why when I am at the Jeffersonian lab, I am just another student. I am just another worker, just another 'squint'. I do not expect a free ride, and I expect to be treated like everyone else around me.

My mother has no problem with my wishes to be 'just another student'. She scolds me just as often as she scolds the others, tests me just as harshly, and is just as quick to point out my mistakes as she is any other person in her lab. There is only one person in the lab that insists on reminding me time and time again of my place in the Jeffersonian, and that person is my father.

_"Toni." Booth called from the bottom of the platform as he took a step up._

_"Dad, don't…" She said, looking to her father as he stepped up anyway, without running his ID through the card reader. The alarms sounded, and she rushed to the reader. She leaned over and slid her card down, stopping the alarm. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment as everyone looked to see what the commotion was about. "Dad, you know you're supposed to scan your ID card."_

_"Sure I do. I was just showing Fitz here, what not to do." Booth said, patting the back of the young agent beside him. _

_"Well… please don't touch anything." She said, turning around to tend to her work._

_"That's my daughter, Antonia. She is one of the two most intelligent women in this lab." Booth said, noticing one of the other female interns looking up. "No offense." Booth shrugged, noting that she hadn't even been listening to him. "So this is the forensics platform." He said, watching as the agent stepped around the equipment. He paused for a moment over the skeleton on the table, and watched as Antonia lifted the tibia onto her fingertips to examine it closely. "You don't have to get too close now, it tends to freak some people out when they first get here." Booth said, noticing the agent wasn't watching him, but was watching Antonia. "Hey… Fitz," Booth said, trying to get his attention. "Fitzy?"_

_The young agent looked up, and caught Booth's eye. "Huh? Oh, sorry, sir. I was just…"_

_"Uh huh." Booth said, lifting an eyebrow he smiled slightly._

_"No, really…" He said, pointing at the table, Antonia looked up at him._

_"Don't touch the evidence!" she snapped._

_The young agent turned away, and Booth noticed the blush rising in his cheeks. He stepped away from the body and moved toward the steps. "Fitz…" Booth called after him, "Hang on, man." _

_Fitzgerald was just getting to the bottom step when he nearly collided with Temperance, her hands lifting to block the man in front of her, she stepped back and her expression of surprise turned to irritation. "I'm sorry, Ma'am."_

_Before she could reply, Booth charged down the steps, shouldering the young agent slightly as he moved in front of Temperance. "Hey, Bones."_

_"I should have known." She said, saving her disapproving glare for her husband, she held a hint of mischief in her eyes. "Did Grace call you?"_

_Booth glanced to the young agent, who was now avoiding eye contact. "In a manner of speaking, yeah. Bones, this is Special Agent Aiden Fitzgerald."_

_Aiden stuck his hand out to shake Brennan's, and with a firm handshake, he could feel his confidence welling back up at her friendly smile. "Doctor Brennan, it's an honor to finally meet you."_

_"I'm sure that you've been educated on the proper protocol in the Jeffersonian lab."_

_"Yes, Ma'am." He nodded his head and glanced to Booth. _

_"That's good then. And I trust you'll be available this evening for dinner? My family would like to welcome you to the team properly."_

_"It would be my pleasure." He nodded with a quick smile, though his attention kept flashing to the platform. "Uh, thank you."_

_There was an awkward pause, and Temperance glanced to Booth and they exchanged a look of confusion. "Agent Fitzgerald, are you alright? You seem a little out of sorts."_

_"Yeah, yes. Yeah, I'm fine." He nodded. "I'm sorry."_

_"I think the body made him a little squeamish," Booth said, watching the agent for a moment, he glanced back to Temperance._

_"Was there something with the victim that you noticed?"_

_"I just… when I was looking at the bones, I noticed there was a hairline fracture on the medial epicondyle of the femur. Hard to see with the naked eye, but I did notice it." Aiden said quickly, noticing that Temperance didn't seem surprised by his vocabulary, though Booth's eyes widened._

_"You have experience in medicine?" Temperance asked, though her tone was that of a statement. She smiled at the young agent, and glanced to the platform. She noticed as he seemed to physically calm at her words, and immediately felt at ease with the young man._

_"My father is a doctor. I attended pre-med before I went into the academy. I enjoyed it, but there was something pulling me toward law enforcement instead. There's just something about helping someone before they end up at the hospital that seemed more appealing than trying to help them survive the aftermath." Aiden said, feeling a slight tug on his arm._

_"Alright, Fitz… enough with the squint talk, there are other people that you should meet." Booth insisted._

_"Agent Fitzgerald, would you like to assist in examining the victim?" Temperance said, ignoring her husband for the moment._

_"Bones, we really have to…"_

_"I would like that very much, Doctor Brennan." Aiden said, turning toward Booth. "Sorry," he whispered, climbing the steps after Temperance, leaving Booth at the foot of the steps alone._

_"What's wrong, big guy? Bren take your new puppy?" Angela said, stepping up alongside him._

_"Yeah," he sighed. _

_"Come on, there are donuts in the break room." She nudged him, and he smiled, turning around as the two of them walked toward the break room together._


End file.
